Warwick anyone? (Providence, Newport, Westerly: real estate, houses, neighborhoods)

[SWP]

I am currently living the PNW and would like to move to New England. After doing some research, there is one town in RI that appeals to me. That is, Warwick. My lifestyle requires that I live near the water, have paved bike paths, and plenty of parks. I also like zoos, and botanical gardens, arboretums, etc. Putting it simply, I need outdoor recreation and closeness of nature.

I plan to purchase a home before relocating. Safety is important to me. Also, I am a business owner/artist. I want to be close to photographic scenery, high quality art fairs, book fairs, etc. I'd like to eventually open a small chain of art gallery/gift shops. I prefer to have one located in my home town. Is there a downtown area that gets enough local and tourist traffic?

I appreciate any input a local may have on my plans.

[terrasurf]

Are you serious, have you ever been to RI, let alone Warwick? Parks and nature anywhere near Warwick are nothing like coastal Seattle area. I did find though that the ocean and waters of Narragansett Bay are much more accessible than the wild Pacific Coast and Puget Sound full of large toothed mammals. Warwick is busy and commercial, although I must say there are some pleasant, quiet, affordable neighborhoods behind many an aging commercial strip. The density is there, but the artists and hipsters live in Providence a half hour away.

[mikey2]

Boy, sounds like Wickford might be a place you'd want to check into.

I'm not sure you're really going to find Warwick an ideal place to relocate to based on the criteria you mentioned..... and R.I. isn't going to have all the things you want all in one place.

There are other communities you could consider like East Greenwich, maybe Wakefield, Tiverton, Little Compton, to name a few.

Good Luck

Mikey

[Hollytree]

I'd add Bristol and Westerly to the list.

[mlcolberg]

Pawtuxet Village in Warwick has a small but very nice downtown area with shops and restaurants. Providence is only 10 minutes away. Another area worth checking out is the East Side of Providence. There is big artist community with tons of shops, restaurants, bookstores, etc. with Brown University in the center of it all.

In terms of Nature RI has it all, and anywhere you want to go in the state is no more than 45 minutes away! Good Luck!

[CoventryDude]

Warwick is mostly suburbs, wall to wall. A couple of nice parks but it's all houses and too much traffic.
Pawtuxet Village is as described above, but that's as close as you are describing. I'd at least visit first. (I grew up in Warwick, fwiw).

[IxIAnnieIxI]

Bristol or Narragansett has lots of water. Warwick is mostly suburbs.

[pwrm21]

Uhhh...Warwick is not the answer.

Try Bristol, Newport or Narragansett...all nice places on the water. These areas get very busy for about 10 weeks in the summer and then calm down greatly (some say dead) in the off season. Bristol has a college so it keeps it lively, and Narragansett has URI nearby. Newport is really crowded but has loads of concerts and festivals throughout the year.

You might also consider South Kingstown. It's the most "granola" area of the state...that I've found anyway.

Keep in mind...nothing is very far around here...it's a really small state.

Good luck...if you need Real Estate help, e-mail me.

[GermanSpy]

Quite honestly, I'm not sure that Rhode Island in general is what you're looking for. While above mentioned towns like Bristol and Wickford etc are certainly safe and quite a few outdoorsy things are only a shortish drive away I'd be very careful in choosing the town for your business. We do have quite a few tourists during the season but things calm down greatly in the wintertime. Economy isn't doing so hot either, I'm seeing quite a few of the 'crafty' places shutting down lately since the 'playmoney' isn't there anymore. So hmm...also, keep in mind that the Seattle outdoors and ours here aren't comparable at all. Come visit us and see for yourself.

Good luck.

[Hollytree]

The major change between here and the PNW is that RI is not mountainous. It's a different landscape; seacoast, rolling meadows, ponds, etc. However, it doesn't mean we don't have plenty of outdoor recreation, some gorgeous scenery, and the closeness of nature! We are world class for sailing & polo and have everything else on his list. You can also add in all of MA and CT's attractions since we're close to them as well. Mystic Seaport, for example, with its aquarium is less than 1/2 hr away.

Rhode Island Outdoors - Rhode Island Outdoor Recreation